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IMPORTANT NOTICE! Due to organizing reasons and to the uncertainties caused by the persistence of the pandemic emergency, after having already postponed the application deadlines,
we inform you that the last notification date of selected films is set for January 15, 2022.
The subscribers of the selected films will be notified via email and through the chosen submission sites.
The festival event will take place at the Detour cinema in the first half of 2022.

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“A path is always between two points, but the in-between has taken on all the consistency
and enjoys both an autonomy and a direction of its own”  G. Deleuze, F. Guattari, 1987

 

OTRFF.8

ON THE ROAD FILM FESTIVAL

Road trips, quests and new frontiers

An itinerant and independent cinema festival, both on the road and borderline
Errant images, displacements and psycho-geographical drifts

>>OTRFF Previous Editions

8th EDITION: FILMING SLOWLY AND CLOSE TO HOME

After more than a year marked by a state of impasse, of a surreal waiting period and forced inaction, we are starting to talk about the theme of travelling, even if only in a symbolic way, which might seem nostalgic dreaming, if not a provocation. We have been thinking about all the difficulties both artistic and organizational which come with developing a project like this, in a difficult period for cinema and festivals in general.

Faithful to the spirit of the traveller, in the end, we have decided to try. To go ahead. We are sure we will find the support from all of you, the directors, technicians, press officers, the public and the workers when we call for some changes to the programme which have to be made for the health requirements and for whatever we have to face in who-knows-what future scenarios. For the rest, like for every on the road route, voyage of discovery, meeting and discussion with anyone else, there will be the unforeseen. Delays, missed trains, cancelled flights and changes in programmes.

The type of travelling we like is the one where you are able to change the route to find yourself again, sometimes transformed, but where you still can be ready to re-orient the map and take up the path again.
If geography is compressed due to the lockdowns and the horizon of the journey is reduced to the perimeter of our own isolated space, to a walk in a public garden, or to visits to the supermarket, the act of filming can be an extraordinary heuristic and poetic tool for exploring this forced proximity, becoming almost a microscopic examination of the social micro-habitats usually hidden even in the most knowledgeable on the road film-making.

We believe that the time has come to call for film-making to be slow and close to home, to adjust to the current ecological imperatives, to nurture a culture which gives us a lasting and resilient future!

Below you will find all the information you need to participate in the eighth edition of the On The Road Film Festival!
Have a dream journey and happy viewing!

 

 


THE FESTIVAL

Based at the legendary DETOUR Arthouse Cinema, in the heart of Rome since 1997, ON THE ROAD FILM FESTIVAL is devoted to contemporary independent cinema – fiction, documentary and experimental – presenting travelogues, urban and waste-land wanderings, real or imaginary topographies, unexpected detours, psycho-geographical drifts, migration and nomadism, related environmental and social issues.

We look for films that develop, through linguistic and narrative skills, a critical and inventive approach to the subject guidelines of the Festival: a traveling mood with digressions from fixed paths, where the route is what matters, not the destination.

The Festival hosts screenings, master classes, meetings, art exhibitions, live performances and music, both at DETOUR Cinema and at a variety of cinema venues, film clubs, schools, public libraries and other unusual locations in Rome and and in its surrounding area.

The festival has gained recognition by international filmmakers over the years and has hosted masterclasses held by directors like Pedro Costa, Artur Aristakisian, Jonathan Nossiter.

Previous editions have included films by Werner Herzog, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Alex Gibney, Tariq Teguia, René Vautier, Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, Fredrik Gertten, Pedro Costa, Jonathan Nossiter. Lutz Gregor

OTRFF competition consists of two sections: THE ROAD (Features and Mid-length films =>30′) and SHORT>CUTS (short films <30′)

Features and Short Films in competition will be screened in late 2021 or in early 2022 at Detour Cinema in Rome, depending on the progress of the covid pandemic. 

In respect of impediments resulting from the persistence of the pandemic emergency, the main festival events, the award ceremony and the screenings of the winning films could take place online in “virtual cinema” mode, or in other ways we deem to be most appropriate.

 


CATEGORIES & ENTRY FEES 

  • The Road. Competitive section for FEATURES and MEDIUM-LENGTH FILMS (over 30 minutes) of any genre (narrative films, documentaries, animation, reportage, experimental films, tv shows, episodes/pilots of web/tv series, etc.) concerning topics such as travelogues, road trips, journeying, travels, nomadism, borderlands, boundaries, detouring, wilderness, urban or rural displacements, psycho-geographical drifts.
  • ShortCuts. Competitive section for SHORT FILMS (<=30 minutes) of any genre (narrative films, documentaries, animation, reportage, experimental films, tv shows, episodes of web/tv series, etc.) concerning topics such as travelogues, road trips, journeying, travels, nomadism, borderlands, boundaries, detouring, wilderness, urban or rural displacements, psycho-geographical drifts. 

In addition to the Competition, the festival offers a taste of international, independent “on the road” cinematography, within two more sections. The works that will not be selected for the contest can be proposed, at the discretion of the selectors and with the consent of the authors, for the two non-competitive sections:

  • Off the Map. It focuses on works that depicts a country, a nation or a specific geographic area or cultural/linguistic belonging; selections from other international film festivals and retrospectives are also included.
  • Across Borders. Section out of the contest. “on the road” encounters embracing cinema, literature, music and performative arts: screenings with live music score, workshops and master classes, shows for kids, exhibitions, readings and other live performances.

 


SUBMISSIONS OPTIONS, FEES AND DEADLINES

OPENING DATE is January 30, 2021

DEADLINES:
Early Bird > April 30, 2021
Regular > Luglio 30, 2021
Late > September 15, 2021

In order to submit your film, an online entry form must be filled out either on Detour website or, alternatively, on one of the associate web-based platforms.

Depending on the method chosen for submission, the payment of a registration fee is requested, either by bank transfer or alternatively by paypal service, via external web-based platform. Payments should be made as soon as possible in order to complete your submission. Submissions which have not been paid will not be taken into consideration.

ENTRY FEES:
ShortCuts > Earlybird deadline 7€ | Regular deadline 10€ | Late deadline  12€
The Road > Earlybird deadline 16€ | Regular deadline 20€ | Late deadline 24€

– Submission option 1 – Signing up on Detour website

  • An online Application Form must be filled within the prescribed deadlines.
  • A private link to a screener of your film on any online sharing platform (e.g. Vimeo, Youtube, Google Drive etc.) is requested;
  • The payment of the entry fee by bank transfer is requested and a proof of payment must be provided at ontheroadff@cinedetour.it possibly within 48 hours of your submission;
    Bank Account: DETOUR

    IBAN: IT46 K056 9603 2080 0000 5249 X53
    BIC/SWIFT: POSOIT2106P
    Purpose of the payment “OTRFF Entry Fee and Detour Cinema Membership”
    Banca Popolare di Sondrio BPS 091 Roma Ag. 8

– Submission option 2 – Signing up either on an external web-based platform

Please follow the link to either of the banners below.
To whom is signed on external web sites is not requested to fill out the application form on the Detour website.

>FilmFreeway

>festhome

>clickforfestivals


AWARDS AND PRIZES

  • Jury Award for Best Feature Film (>30 min.): Cash Award of 1000€ + Detour Plaque Award + one or more possible scheduled screenings at the Detour Cinema in agreement with the rights owners;
  • Jury Award for Best Short Film (<30min.): Cash Award of 500€ + digital laurel certificate + one or more possible scheduled screenings at the Detour Cinema in agreement with the rights owners;
  • Audience Award Best Feature Film: digital laurel certificate + 1 scheduled screening/event during the current programming season at the Detour Cinema;
  • Audience Award Best Short Film: digital laurel certificate + 1 scheduled screening/event during the current programming season at the Detour Cinema;
  • Selected films may receive additional awards, special mentions or other recognition at the discretion of the Jury, or by our partners and sponsors.

 


RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION

  • Submissions are open to everyone: individual authors, film studios and distributors, collectives of artists, communities, voluntary associations, non-profit organizations, NGOs and schools of cinema;
  • Only films completed on or after 1st January 2018 are eligible for entry into the Festival competitions;
  • OTRFF is a non-profit organisation. The festival charges an entry fee for submissions to cover the costs of processing and handling your film. In the event of a film being withdrawn, OTRFF will not be liable to refund the fee or return the materials entered;
  • Payments should be made as soon as possible in order to complete your submission. Submissions which have not been paid will not be taken into consideration;
  • By participating in the contest, the submitter automatically acquires the annual membership to Detour Arthouse Cinema;
  • All entries and accompanying materials (photos, short moving images extracts and stills reproduced from them) will be available by OTRFF to promote ongoing and future editions of the festival. OTRFF is hereby granted the right to use an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes;
  • Non-Italian speaking films submitted to the Festival must be subtitled in at least one of these languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish. A subtitle file with time codes in a standard format (srt, sub, ass) is requested;
  • A password protected link to a screener of the film on a video sharing site (e.g. Vimeo) must be provided. In the case that the film is available in downloading only, file formats accepted are: mp4, mkv, quicktime mov, mpeg2. The download file size must be less than 4GB;
  • In the selection process, preference shall be given to world, national and city premieres, unpublished and undistributed films;
  • If music or additional film material used in your film is not original, then permission from source must be obtained. The responsibility for this rests entirely with the filmmaker;
  • Once the selection process will be completed, shortlisted and finalist films will be announced along with additional information on www.cinedetour.it . A free digital exhibition catalogue will soon after be available in a pdf format;
  • A jury of experts of cinema and visual arts will evaluate the materials and reward the nominated winners. Also the audience will have the chance to vote for the Audience Award winner;
  • Cash amounts are intended before taxes and duties and will be awarded to the winners in the form of bank transfers, following the subsidies from our private and institutional sponsors;
  • The Detour Cinema reserves the right (with no exclusive rights and in agreement with the rights owners) to schedule the screenings of the best selected films over the 2021-22 programming season;
  • OTRFF is an itinerant cinema festival. Films selected for the contest may be screened at Detour Cinema and in other official venues of the festival in Rome and in its surrounding area. The participation in the contest will count as a green light to show the film in any selected location during the festival period, fee-free and without any further permission;
  • OTRFF and DETOUR cinema will strongly support and promote the best films through their press office, mailing list, social profiles, and on the website www.cinedetour.it;
  • The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations;
  • The submission of a film to OTRFF will be considered to be an acknowledgement of the festival rules shall indemnify and hold harmless OTRFF from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered;
  • Cinema DETOUR reserves the right, upon your explicit consent, to compile a library containing the most deserving works of the various editions of the festival, to be promoted and submitted to the attention of national and international companies and distribution film agencies and broadcasters. In doing so, OTRFF / DETOUR CINEMA may be able to act as an agent in facilitating the conclusion of contracts and licence agreements for the distribution and/or commercial exploitation of the works;
  • In respect of impediments resulting from the persistence of the pandemic emergency, the main festival events, the award ceremony and the screenings of the winning films could take place online in “virtual cinema” mode, or in other ways we deem to be most appropriate.

 


ON THE ROAD FILM FESTIVAL
c/o Associazione Culturale Detour
Via Urbana 107 Roma
www.cinedetour.itontheroadff@cinedetour.it

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